NBA Boasts Advantage
For Home-Court Teams

By

Allen St. John Special to The Wall Street Journal

Updated May 9, 2003 12:01 a.m. ET

This is the time of year when NBA fans, coaches and broadcasters spend more time talking about going home than Thomas Wolfe. Are the Mavericks done now that the Kings have seized home-court advantage? Can the Lakers and Celtics get well when they head home?

There's good reason for all this. Since 1984, home teams have posted a .626 winning percentage in the regular season and a .661 mark in the playoffs.